Mural Chapter Four: Your bird is upside down!

   Klee's original work, "Landscape with Yellow Birds," painted in water color, is a bit tricky to interpret in acrylic on a cement block wall.  We pulled out the fan brush in which to drag our colors and blend.
   I rather enjoy the fact that Klee placed one of his birds upside down  - it disorients what we assume about the scene, and it engages one in a sense of play.  In fact, the motif prompts a number of  high school passersby to bring this observation to my attention.  It will probably take a young student to stop and wonder "Why?"

Mural Chapter Four

Mural Chapter Two and Three

Let it never be said that we take ourselves too seriously.  From expanding the definition of what constitutes a painting surface, to hamming for a camera, we still manage to get the job done. 

End of week two

End of week three

Sometimes they can't resist...

I wonder how that happened?

Satisfaction at the end of a shift

Applying cover until next session

The Essential Question

Portrait of Mrs. Calco

Along with my school family, I mourn the death last week of our principal, Kym Calco, after a courageous battle with leukemia.   She was a woman who lived with passion and joy.   Mrs. Calco was a thorough professional, yet knew how to embrace adventure.  It was only last year when, along with several teachers, we accompanied her to Columbus for an ACSI convention.  We must have circled our destination several times, laughing as our GPS had a total meltdown navigating so many detours that it could only repeat “recalculate” in an unending loop.  By the time we shut it off and found the destination on our own, we were late.  Like a seasoned NASCAR driver swinging into the pit, Mrs. Calco maneuvered into our parking spot with what can only be described as efficient precision.  Still bubbling with laughter, she threw off her headscarf and pulled on her wig with practiced ease. We all spilled out of the car at a run, struggling to slip into a more fitting demeanor.  With just minutes to spare, she walked to the front of the sanctuary, composed and dignified to receive a certificate on behalf of LCCS.   She moved seamlessly between different situations,  engaging those around her to be a part of the journey.

As a teacher, she challenged me to dig deeper and reach higher.  I wish I could say I always did so joyfully, but that wouldn’t be honest.    She taught me about how to use “EQs,”or to the uninitiated, “Essential questions.”  They're the questions that can’t be answered with “yes,” “no,” or rote answers.  They’re the ones that distill a lesson down to the one or two meaty things on which I wish my students to chew.    

Standing in a school worship service the day after she died, my heart was lifted to hear our young men and women praying aloud for the Calco family, our school, and thanking God for the impact she had on their young lives.  I want to pause and reflect on that today.   If I were to write the essential question for the lesson she taught me through her luminous example, it would be this:   How can I live to make a difference for Jesus in the lives of others?    

The Wall Begins: Mural 2011-2012

Step one:  Grid till the cows come home.

Step two: Draw till you're done

Checklist for mural preparation outside of Mr. Lambright's room:
1.  Coordinate mural sign-up requests and distribute.
2.  Remove sports poster "Go Tigers"  - a risky move for an art teacher whose interim principal is a jock.      
3.  Tape off painting perimeter and apply black primer.
4.  Use mathematical formula for enlarging picture.
             (If you thought art teachers didn't do math, you now stand corrected.)
5.  Borrow a big level and  plumb line - grid the wall.


Things I learned preparing the wall:
1.  Mr. Lambright's favorite color is black.  Maybe it's a physics thing.
2.  Did you know that if you stick ear buds up your nose, that music plays out your ears and mouth?    
     (This is the kind of stuff you learn after school.)

Handimals after Guido Daniele

Swan

Meet Mr. Llama

Food Chain Pose

Eagle by Nate1253

Flamingo by Elizabeth6201

Swan after Daniele interpreted by Hailee369

Elephant after Daniele interpreted by Kara1055

Alligator by Laura2621

Snail by Hannah10535

Usually, when students paint on their hands, they get to listen to my standard lecture  for goofing around.  However, last week, I actually encouraged using paint unconventionally.  Instead of goofing around though, students were introduced to Italian artist, Guido Daniele.  Among other things, Daniele uses hands as canvases to transform them into paintings so realistic looking, that one has to look twice to be sure one is looking at a hand.  Thanks to art educator, Ian Sands of Apex High who pointed me in the direction of Daniele, we had an amazing time transforming our hands into creatures like his, or inspired by his work.  To see the real deal, though, you owe it to yourself to look up Guido Daniele's "handimals." 

All wrapped up!

Andrew10214, 11th Grade

Brittany5262, 10th Grade

Michaela1229, 11th Grade

Christmas break was a blink, and now we're back  for spring semester.  New rosters, new lesson plans, new supplies.  Before I totally lose sight of last semester, though, I wanted to share our last Advanced Art project of the grading period entitled, "All wrapped up."  Some of the best ideas for my lessons come from visiting student art shows.  I saw this one down at Cedarville College during an ACSI Art Festival, and it inspired my imagination.  For these students, it constituted their first water color self-portrait.

'Tis the Season - The Art of Painting on Windows

                     Recipe for Christmas Windows 101

                          1. Fill egg cartons with tempera paint and distribute to students.
                          2. Add transparent canvas in the form of school windows.
                          3. Queue the  Christmas music starting with  "Straight No Chaser"
                                    (Note to self - delete the "Eggnog" song asap); and
                          4. Let painting the windows for Christmas begin.

                          Here's a sampling of what the kids served up this year:

Andrea2416

CJ872

Kaitlyn1173

Jennifer408

Brigit17 and Karen1032

Olivia8287

Jennifer408

Wishing you a blessed Christmas!